The Art Of Being Kidnapped
by yukikittycatofwisdom
Summary: "You should thank me. I saved you." He smirked proudly, slipping the mask off his face. I struggled against the ropes, "Huh? You kidnapped me! Again, might I add!" They should make this an art, I'd be great at it. Being kidnapped, that is. - KuroPika
1. Aggravation

Lesson 1: Aggravation

"_Be careful on the way home, Kurapika." Mom said as she lovingly stirred the pot of soup. Sighing, I slipped my feet into my shoes. "I know, I know. You worry too much." She smiled and kissed my forehead. "That's because I love you." Pretending to dislike her show of affection, as only a child would, I laughed and ran out the door. Little did I know that that was the last time I would see my mother again. But no child truly knows how to appreciate his parents, I was no exception._

"Are you listening?"

I looked up from the notebook in my lap at the irritated Leorio. Catching the hand gestures of the girl behind him, I quickly closed the notebook and stood. "You're right. One hundred percent correct. You should definitely do that."

"You weren't paying attention at all!" He growled in dismay, backing up as I moved around him.

The girl raised a hand, grinning widely. "I haven't seen you all summer, where've you been?"

"Around." I smiled back politely. "So, what country did your father buy you this time?"

"You're ignoring me!" Leorio barked, stomping up behind me.

The girl smirked slightly, pink hair bobbing about her head. "That's 'cause he likes _me _better." I looked away with a sigh as he unceremoniously flipped her the finger.

Well, what else would you expect from a town of snobby, rich kids?

"Neon-san, is that a new bag?" I inquired, as if it interested me in the slightest. Her green eyes perked up as she held it up proudly.

"Yup! And Daddy said we had to save some money this summer, so he couldn't buy me a country. He only got me a hot spring place up in a nearby city."

Oh, how tragic.

Inwardly, I was banging my head on a desk and tearing out my hair in exasperation. Laughing softly, I leaned against the wall. "You were complaining last year about wanting one."

"Yeah, but this one is still in _construction_." She whined, making a face. "I can't even see it until it's done."

"You are totally ignoring me!" Grinding his teeth together, Leorio crossed his arms. "Again, might I add!"

I sighed, remembering how today's events were a mess in itself. Everyone had stared at me as if I was some sort of walking money sign. They were all rich, mind you, but it was their parents' money to wield, not their own. And simply because I was seen with Neon, the _daughter of Nostrad_, and Leorio, the _son of two famous lawyers_, everyone assumed I had more money than both of their families combined.

Even now, I could feel eyes burning into the back of my head.

"Today was tiring." I offered. He didn't look impressed by my lack of creativity.

With a snort, Leorio swung his bag onto his back. "And tomorrow will be hectic. I can tell by the makeup spilling from Neon's back pocket. It's a sign, I say, a sign!"

"And _why _are you looking at my back pocket?" Neon shot back, collecting her things.

He pulled down the skin bellow his eye, sticking out his tongue, "'Cause your ass is so huge it competes with Janitor Tompa's."

She gasped, cheeks flushed as she covered her bottom with her hands. "Did you just go there? You did not just go there!"

Before they could initiate the head bobs and the 'oh no you didn't, oh yes I did's, I snatched a lollipop out of my pocket and stuck it into Leorio's mouth, wrapper and all. Candy sure did come in handy in these parts.

Neon snickered, "Suck on _that_, you…" She trailed off at seeing me reach into my pocket again. I lifted an eyebrow, daring her to continue with her sentence. With a nervous laugh, she raised her hands in surrender. "I get it, I get it. Open foot, insert mouth, Neon."

"I believe it's the other way around, but close enough." I nodded in satisfaction, an amused smile fighting for dominance over my face. Ripping off the wrapper, Leorio chewed on the treat in silent annoyance.

The bell rang, signaling the end of our first day of high school.

**xXx**

"I can't believe we actually made it through the day."

"Like you said, it was only the first day. Tomorrow will be hectic." I reminded him, acting indifferent towards the whispers around us. Nonetheless, Leorio noticed the nervous trembling in my hands and linked his arm with mine.

"Tomorrow might be bad, but at least we'll get to see the upperclassmen. The sophomores and juniors. The seniors!" His excited tone chirped. I, on the other hand, cringed with every word.

"Why are you so hung on the idea of meeting the other students? They're just a bunch of snobs." I replied with an annoyed glance. But even as I criticized him, I leaned further into the comfort of his arm. What I just said was a big lie towards myself. Just my normal, stuck up self. I loathed having to keep up such an arrogant image for the school, all it did was confirm that I truly did belong in this filthy rich school. I was just as snooty as the rest of the student body.

Even if I didn't have the money to qualify.

I peered up at Leorio, who just chuckled softly and grinned back. Sure, his parents had enough money to put most of the other students to shame, but he wasn't the money grubber he made himself out to be. I wasn't completely sure on the women-loving side of him, but compared to the others Leorio was a saint.

Though I was probably going to hell for saying that.

Unlike the other people in this town, he wasn't fake. He was true to his word and fun to be around. He wasn't hiding behind a false face of what everyone expected. Unlike me.

It had often occurred to me that the reason behind my lack of friends was creditable to my personality. Or, rather, the personality I was thought to have.

"Hey, isn't that your father?" I asked, nodding towards the man impatiently tapping his foot. Though he hadn't spotted us yet, it was a mere matter of time.

"Shit." Leorio swore, quickly prying his arm off of mine. "Sorry, Kurapika, I thought he wasn't coming today…"

"It's okay. I like walking home alone." I reassured him, gently pushing him towards the man. "I look forward to it, really."

"Thanks." He breathed, apologetically squeezing my shoulder before racing to the waiting car. I watched, like a rock in the sea of flowing students, as his father took a moment to angrily growl some curses at him before both hopped into the black Mercedes. Soon enough, the vehicle disappeared down the road.

Biting back a sigh, I turned and began the trudge back 'home'.

The sun beat down, accompanying the sound of insects in the afternoon heat. It wasn't that the heat swirled around me, attempting to suffocate any poor being lacking air conditioning, which was bothering the most; it was the beads of sweat that wasted no time in accumulating on my forehead.

In the desperate suffocation, I took a detour into the park a few blocks from my destination. I stripped off the black blazer of my school uniform, tying it around my waist as I power walked across the playground.

This was a shortcut I didn't take very often, seeing as I preferred not having to climb the fence at the other end. But it was certainly faster than the usual path, and today was so _hot_.

I had barely gotten past the slide when I heard the light murmur of voices. My eyes instinctively wandered to their source, skimming the swings before landing on three men. All three of them were in their late twenties, early thirties from the looks of it. Two were arguing with one another, bickering and pointing while the third watched with disinterest. It was the last one that met my gaze.

My muscles tightened and my eyes narrowed, before I turned away. Dread was building in my stomach, as irrational as it was, and my pace quickened considerably. Just my luck, I had to go past them to get to the route leading to the house.

Keeping my eyes ahead of me, I gulped as the argument was cut short. Hearing the silence, I took a hesitant peek at them. Big mistake, I know.

As I did, the third man smiled this time. Crooked teeth were revealed at the parting of his cracked lips. His brown hair was a mess, as if he had never seen a hair brush, and there was a scar running down the length of his face. As I approached, the other men didn't smile as much. It was more of a smirk that appeared on their faces as they eyed me. Fingers tightening around the strap of my bag, I tried not to meet their eyes as I finally reached them.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The first guy snickered. He just so happened to choose that moment to strip off his shirt, tossing it at my face. I sidestepped, not sparing a glance at the discarded article of clothing. The other one, one with long dyed-black hair, smirked wider. "Oh? Quick on your feet, eh? What do you think, Drew?"

Drew, the man who had first noticed me, stepped closer and ruffled my hair as I flinched. "High school girl, by the looks of it. Don't got much bust but dammit, she's practically offered herself up to us already."

"I'm not a _girl_." I snapped, before I could catch my tongue. Drew whistled, turning towards the shirtless man, "You believe that, Wong?" Wong smirked wider, quickly catching my wrist and pulling me against his chest. "I'm gonna need some proof, don't you think? Let's settle this back at my place." Then I was grabbed by the legs and shoulders, before being lifted off the ground. I yelped, kicked, and struggled against their grasp.

"Let me go!" I yelled, fighting against their strong hold. I was no match for three, grown men. I knew that much. A hand dug into my blazer pocket, brushing my hip, before pulling out a lollipop. "You got a sweet tooth?" The unnamed man laughed. "Such a kid."

I tried punching or kicking anything I could, but my limbs were soon locked into place and I was left to yell in outrage.

"Oh, a screamer! Haven't gotten one of these in a long while." Drew hollered as they both laughed out. "They're always fun to _train_." I tried yanking myself away from them as my bag fell to the ground with a clatter, spilling my books and stashes of candy.

"What's this?" Another male voice cut in through my shouts, and all movement instantly stopped.

Standing a few feet away, a young man scrutinized the three men with calculating eyes. His hair was a silky black, glowing like a raven's wing in the sun's glare. His skin was a natural pale, stretched across his refined chin. His dark eyes bore into mine for a moment before meeting the men's.

They set my feet on the ground and the shirtless Wong brought me back into his chest. My back pressed into his sweaty front and a hand played with the zipper of my pants. I squirmed in his grip, thrashing as he slowly unzipped it. Abandoning the task, he then held my arms down and nuzzled my neck.

"There ain't nothing here for you, punk. Mind your own and get back to the rich side of town." He suggested, apparently having trouble keeping his tongue in his mouth and off my ear. The boy smiled, as if he'd just cracked a joke. "I think it's time I get involved, don't you?" He replied before my eyes narrowed, widening again as Drew pulled out a knife. He'll be killed!

I closed my eyes, bracing myself for screams of pain and the sick laughing of the men to begin. Even so, I shook uncontrollably at the cracks and screams ringing in my ears. The man holding me swore loudly, carrying me off in a sprint.

It was my fault for the boy's death, he would be dead and buried before anyone was the wiser. I probably deserved to be dragged off like this.

The man, Wong, cried out in pain and his grasp vanished. With the momentum, I was sent crashing into a brick wall. _Ouch_.

I winced at the stinging pain now throbbing against my head and backside. Pain pulsing up my arms, I looked back to see a figure in all black thrust the knife into the man's side.

Desperately trying to look away, I pretended that that was not blood seeping from the man's many wounds, that those screams were not death screams, and that his legs were _not _being bent the wrong way. But nothing could keep my eyes and ears from the agony filled cries, off the merciless smirk on the boy's face. I soon couldn't bare the scene any longer.

"S-STOP!" I yelled, a hiccup rising from my throat as the boy peered back at me curiously. Staring at me with wondering eyes, he dropped the dying man and slowly approached me, bloody knife in hand. My limbs shook violently at his wide eyes, the wild way he had just killed three men. Horrified, I watched as he stalked closer, discarding the knife.

It embedded itself in the dying man's skull, ending his misery. And the boy hadn't even looked away from me.

The boy crouched in front of me as adrenaline pounded in my ears and made my hands shake. He dug through his pockets and took out a…napkin?

I stared at him in shock as he gently wiped a dot of blood from my face. At last, I managed a bewildered, "You…saved me?" I had expected him to either flee or beat me to a pulp for wasting his time.

"Men like that aggravate me." He explained, standing as I stiffly got to my feet. I thought he would add more, but instead he pocketed the napkin and began to walk away.

"T-thank you." I called after him, though I was unsure if that was the correct thing to say. Considering he had just murdered three guys without batting an eyelash. He paused, and then turned around with a smirk. "Do you know why men like them aggravate me?"

"I don't…" A chill crawled up my spine as he stepped towards me, causing me to take a step back.

"Why men like that make me _mad_." He continued. Before I had time to react, he reached a hand across my lower back and pulled me so that our bodies were aligned. "Men like them annoy me because they never get the job done _right_."

It took a moment for this to sink in, before my mouth fell open. "Y-you-!"

"By the way," He released me and ruffled up my hair, "You didn't seem all that worried until I got involved. Weird kid. Who said I was saving you anyway? I was hungry." With that, he snatched a lollipop from the ground and, tossing the bloodied wrapper to the ground, popped it into his mouth. I stared after his retreating back in disbelief.

TBC…

Yuuki: IDK if I should continue this… It appears I'm in a Surreal Reality neglect phase…First Macabre Dreams…and now this…(Though I have no idea what date it is that you, reader, are reading this, cuz who knows when it'll be posted and it's October 3rd as I write this)

Killua: And your excuse? T_T

Yuuki: for homework…we read this short story…it was about this dude with a gun during a war…who killed his brother…then we had to write something equally as ironic…and my topic was Stockholm Syndrome…so I pooped out this baby ;D (lo and behold, a semi-spoiler!)

Leorio: another Leopika? *hopeful*

Yuuki: …

Leorio: …right?

Yuuki: …

Leorio: RIGHT?

Yuuki: ...REVIEW PLEASE!

Leorio: WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

(EDIT 5-20-11: I'm posting it just because it's taking up room on my flashdrive, and reading it over…I think I make Pika-chan too much of a damsel in distress *facepalm* sorry, blondie…I'll try to fix your manly pride in future writing)


	2. Egg Toss

_Thanks to _L-L-Love_, _Mimatalind_, _shizuka03, Ongaku no Usagi,00 Firefly Light 00_, _Too lazy to log in _(lulz), _October Ville_, and _iXheartXrecX75_ for the reviews!_

Lesson 2: Egg Toss

The incident had all but disappeared from my mind by the time I made it up the long, curving driveway. Perhaps saying it had disappeared was overdoing it. It had more just been pushed to the back of my mind by the happiness I got to see the little wooden house hovering close by.

I had mentioned that I was to the point of melting in this heat, right?

"I'm back." I called, slipping off my shoes as I enjoyed the fresh wave of the air conditioning. Excited chirps and familiar footsteps pounded down the stairs as I closed the door.

Several children piled into the entrance way as I greeted them all. An old woman wearing an apron stood behind them. However, she was much calmer.

"It's been so long since you've visited!" She smiled warmly, wiping her hands off on a rag. I smiled back, about to reply when small arms wrapped around my legs.

"This time, we won't let you go!" A small girl declared proudly, multiple cries of approval echoing from behind her. With an amused chuckle, I turned back to the patiently waiting woman.

"I would have visited sooner, but they've been in and out of the country all summer…" She nodded in understanding, gesturing down the hall.

"Come now, children. Let's show Kurapika the cookies we baked this morning."

They raced towards the kitchen, yelling and laughing. I followed after their excited forms, leaving my bag near the door.

I didn't want to go 'home' yet, though it would only be worse the longer I decided to stay here. But it was worth the torture to visit this old orphanage.

Gazing at the walls, pleasant and unpleasant memories resurfaced. Memories of how the crayon got there, near the window. Memories of how the painting hanging on the wall had always been slightly crooked, no matter if we tried to fix it again and again. Memories of how I had always tripped over that last step on the stair case. And memories of the floorboards that creaked underneath the rugs.

"This place never changes, does it?" I took a big gulp of air, practically tasting the past on my tongue. The woman laughed softly, fiddling with the plastic ring on her finger. "Hopefully it never will."

So caught up in the familiar house, I hadn't realized that there was an important part of those memories missing. I frowned, examining the seven little children in front of me. "How is she…?"

Sadness creeped into her wise, knowing eyes. "She hasn't been up for a month or so now."

Taking a shuddering breath, I fought to stay composed in front of them. There was no need to worry the kids, now was there?

"May I see her?" I asked slowly, searching for any signs in her expression. Her kind face lifted up to look at mine, a sad smile on her lips.

"I suppose so. With your infrequent visits, who knows if this is your last chance to…" With a sigh, she gestured towards the hall. "The same room as always. And hurry up, young man! There are cookies waiting to be eaten!"

I smiled, relieved, as I found the familiar stair case and ran up the creaking boards.

I had grown up here, had spent the majority of my life in this very house. Running my hand along the wall, I felt the familiar cracks in the plaster that came with old buildings.

Most people would say this old place was nothing compared to the luxurious mansion I lived in now. In fact, they did. But it was everything to me.

"Senritsu?" I knocked gently on the first door, curiously leaning my ear against the wood. "It's me, Kurapika. Can I come in?"

Silence. And then a faint call of, "Come in."

I pushed the door open with a smile, "Long time no see. How are you?" With ease of practice, I kept from flinching upon seeing the withering girl. It made my chest ache to see the lines clear on her face, to see how far she'd fallen to the illness she'd spent her whole life fighting.

"I've been better." She admitted. Then a smile jumped to her cracked lips, "Leorio-san stopped by the other day, he gave me this book. It's really good. I think your tastes are rubbing off on him."

My eyes wandered over to the book on the nightstand, surprised. "Leorio? Leorio came to visit you?"

"Yes. Two days ago, I believe." Senritsu gave the book a brighter smile, "I haven't finished it yet. I'm halfway through though, would you like to see it?"

I moved towards the nightstand, and as I lifted the book my expression fell. Yes, I recognized the book. It was the one I had given her three months ago. Feeling her watching me, I pretended to read over the summary on the back.

"Hmm, it does seem interesting."

"You can borrow it, if you'd like. After I finish it." The girl offered, yawning at the end of her sentence. "Oops, sorry. I'm really happy to see you, but-"

Placing the book back, I smiled again, "Oh, are you tired? I should've thought of that before I came in. Sorry."

"When will you visit again?"

"Soon, hopefully." I bent over to place a quick kiss on her forehead, "Sleep well, Senritsu."

She nodded. "Good bye."

I pulled the blanket around her, with a pat, and left soundlessly. I always looked forward to seeing her. But each time she was worse and worse, and there were days where I was too worried to spend more than a few minutes in her room. As if the longer I looked, the faster she'd fall.

We weren't sure what her illness was, exactly. And there wasn't enough money for her to get a good doctor to look at her. What we did know, was that her memory wasn't up to par lately, and her body seemed to age while her mind was just fine- aside from the memory thing.

She had only met Leorio once or twice, but I suppose she had gotten what I had told her of him mixed up as a memory. He'd never given her a book, the present Leorio had brought was a cake we bought on the way here many months ago.

"Is she dead yet?"

I froze, turning to see a little boy with wide green eyes glaring at the door I'd just come from.

"No. No, and that's rude." I scolded, slowly descending the stairs. The boy was one of the newer children, and he seemed to have nothing good to say. Not to me, anyways. He'd only been here for a few months though, hopefully he'd warm up soon. They all did, eventually. The woman running the small adoption and foster home was kind and treated all the children as if they were her own.

I paused, and turned back towards the boy with an outstretched hand. "Let's go get some of those cookies before they eat them all, what do you say?"

He 'hmph'd, spinning on his heel to most likely go to his room. "I was going to, but seeing you made me lose my appetite."

"Nice to see you, too." I mumbled, knowing there was something wrong with me for wanting to strangle an eight year old. Calm down, Kurapika. Violence is not the answer.

I kept going down the stairs. A chant of no violence gradually soothing my nerves.

An egg magically rained down from the landing above me, yolk sliding down my cheeks.

"This is WAR!" The boy screamed, quickly racing up the stairs with my on his heels.

"Get back here, you!"

"All's fair in love and war, egg hair!"

No, I no longer wanted to strangle him. I'd much rather try to teach him some much better comebacks. And then maybe force him to eat those vegetables little kids never liked.

XXX

"Apologize!"

The both of us flinched, staring up at the suddenly frightening woman. My plan of forcing vegetables down the Chicken Boy's throat had turned into something of a war of eggs. There was quite a stash he had up here. And it had turned the stair case into a battle zone with the scars and stains to prove it.

Fighting a pout, I turned to the green eyed boy, "I'm…sorry for being so immature."

"Yeah. Good. And I'm sorry you're such a lame aim, too."

"Antonio!" Our caretaker scolded, hands now on her hips. "Apologize properly or I'll make you clean this mess with your toothbrush!"

We both knew she wouldn't do that. We both knew she'd end up cleaning this mess on her own and not complain about a sore back in the morning.

"It's fine." I sighed, slowly rising to my feet. "I'm sorry about the mess, I'll start cleaning right away."

Before she could protest, I'd already grabbed some cleaning supplies from the hallway closet. To my surprise, however, the little green-eyed boy snatched the rag out of my hand and bent down to wipe at the floor. Our caretaker smiled and shook her head as I knelt beside him to help clean.

"Thank you." I said softly, chuckling under my breath as he turned away with red ears.

Perhaps the boy wasn't as bad as he made himself seem. I didn't know the circumstances that led him to stay here, after all.

After a long while of silence, I decided to try and start a conversation. Something I wasn't very good at, especially with little kids. "So…do you like…candy?"

The boy – they'd called him Antonio, hadn't they? – fixed me with a confused stare. "Did ya get hit with an egg in the head?"

"I'm just trying to talk to you." I mumbled, dipping my rag into the bucket of water that the caretaker had given us a few moments ago. "I don't see the problem with the question."

"Yeah, well, only creepy old men offer little kids candy. Next you're probably gonna ask if I want to get in your car."

"I don't have a car."

"Or this nice, innocent little bag which has a pony in it."

Now it was my turn to stare at him. Completely serious in the face, I asked, "Never. I would never ask you that. Let's talk about something else. Hey, little boy, would you like to come to my house? I'll give you a puppy."

"Haha, you're funny." He rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious."

The rag dropped from his hands as he stared at me with wide eyes.

…

"W-what's so funny?" He stuttered, face as red as a tomato.

"You should have seen your face!" I snickered, petting his mop of brown hair, "I'm kidding, okay? Do I look like an old creepy man? Don't answer that." I added, seeing him open his mouth.

He gave an embarrassed shrug, muttering under his breath 'weirdo' before continuing to clean the floor.

Yes, I decided, Antonio was definitely much better company when he wasn't throwing eggs at you.

XXX

"Oi, danchou, what took you so long?"

"Hn? I'm right on time." The young man shook his head to dislodge raindrops from his hair. The other man crossed his arms.

"Nu-uh. Look, you're three hours late!"

"No I'm not."

"Could we just get to the point? If you two _girls_ are done, that is." Came an irritated voice from high above them. A girl with blue hair jumped down from the beams across the room.

With a nod, the man dressed completely in black turned to face the twelve people in the room. "Let's get down to business then, shall we?"

TBC…

Yuuki: Crap this is bad…I forget what's supposed to be happening *cryforeverplz* SO…imma just see how to goes and hope it doesn't turn out too bad...

Kurapika: …

Yuuki: Hunter X Hunter belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi (though if he doesn't hurry up and finish it, many fangirls will appear in angry mobs at his door to claim ownership of his bishies) but the caretaker lady who will never be given a name unless it bothers someone THAAAT much and Antonio Vargas (hurr *awesome face* props to whoever gets the reference *crickets chirp*) along with the story belong to MOI~

Killua: I have a question

Yuuki: Yes~? What is it my deliciously albino tomato?~

Killua: ...never mind

Yuuki: :D *Blink* OH! And Niki's typing this all up for me! Wave to Niki everyone! Because I don't have a computer so I just gave her these millions of papers to post up for me~

Gon: Review please!

Niki: WASSUP? I'mma add a comment here: this chapter is old, it was written along with the first one, I've just been too lazy to type it. So the chapters Yuuki wrote recently start next chappie- where she'll have to start guessing what was supposed to happen hurrr~


	3. Letter

_Thanks to _L-L-Love,Rhiannon Wolf_, _October Ville_, _Garnet-Crystals _and _bigSEED_ for the reviews!_

Chapter 3: Letter

"Come on…pick up…" I growled under my breath, impatiently tapping my foot as I looked out the window of a small convenience store. Why now? Of all times? Why did it choose to rain right as I was too far from the orphanage to head back but too far from the house to run there?

So here I was, hair plastered to my skull by the pouring rain, waiting for my adoptive parents to decide they wanted to pick up the phone. And to top it all off I still had some egg remains on my clothes.

"_Hello."_

I sighed in relief, "Oh, thank goodness."

"_I'm sorry, but we're not available right now. Please leave your name and message and we'll get back to you as soon as-"_

Slamming the phone shut (on my finger, no less) I let out a quiet string of words that had even the man behind the counter wincing.

"It's not fair…" I whined, slowly making my way down the short aisles. "I should have just stayed home and read that book with Senritsu…"

I looked back down at my phone, debating whether I was desperate enough to call Neon or not. No, definitely not.

Dialing a new number, I held it up to my ear while distractedly reading the sides of cereal boxes. This was my last option. If Leorio didn't answer, I would have to either wait out the storm or make a run for it.

Hope was just starting to drain from my face when he answered on the fourth ring.

"_What's up?"_ Leorio chirped happily, "_To what do I owe the honor of your phone call?"_

"I got caught out in the rain." I sighed, sparing a glance to the windows, "Do you think you could come get me?"

Silence.

"Leorio?" Pulling the phone from my ear for a moment to check the call hadn't ended.

A sigh, "_I could. But…Never mind. Where are you?"_

Giving him the name of the shop and the road it was on, I added a quick, "But you don't have to – if it's too much trouble."

"_I'll be there in a bit." _He hung up before I could say anything else.

Pocketing the phone with another sigh, my eyes went back to the window. Outside the rain was drumming harshly against the pavement and any unlucky being stuck outside. Off in the distance I could see a flash of lightning followed by the low rumbling of thunder. I shivered, the cold suddenly catching up with me once the situation of getting home had been solved.

I retreated to the corner of the store furthest from the frozen food and dug through my pockets for loose change. Maybe I had enough to buy one of those warm looking hats to save my ears from falling off.

Alas, I did not.

Any money I had had shriveled up from the rain. When I offered it to the cashier he deemed it unusable until completely dry.

Great. Just great.

I paced around my corner for the next fifteen minutes, glancing at the windows so many times I had memorized the patterns of cracks around them. Then, finally, my hero burst through the doors clad in a bright yellow poncho with dog ears flopping off the hood. Heroic and manly image, no?

"Leorio!" I practically flew right into his big, wet poncho arms. Finally, I could leave this lonely and dark shop that nobody ever bought anything at. The hug probably lasted a few moments longer than it should have, but then I was anxiously looking over his shoulder, "Wait, there's not car outside…please tell me you didn't walk here."

"Walking here would have taken me almost an hour." He smiled sheepishly, "But I couldn't really take the limo here…so…" With a small 'ta-da' he handed me another yellow poncho (also with rabbit ears attached to the hood) and gestured to the bike resting against the wall.

My jaw nearly hit the floor at his supposed heroic rescue.

"Leorio…"

"Hm?" Leorio quickly ran out to bring the bike closer to the store entrance.

"You realize that that's a bicycle."

"Obviously. I rode it here."

"A bike. For one person. I'm not sitting in that basket on the handles."

He swung one leg over the seat, patting the small space left as he perched carefully on the edge. "Well, I know that. Before I left I switched the seat for the biggest one I could find. As long as you hold on tight, I don't think you'll fall off."

I sighed in dismay as I stared at the small patch of seat meant for me. Giving up on knocking some sense into him, I pulled the poncho over my head before stepping out into the rain.

It was hard to get onto the seat at first, until eventually I tangled my fingers into his poncho and placed my feet on the small bars sticking out from the back wheel.

Then we were off, slowly gaining speed as we went down a rather long hill. A squeak I sincerely hope Leorio hadn't heart escaped my lips as I clutched onto him for dear life.

"LEORIOSLOWDOWNISWEARIFWEDIE-"

He laughed. Hard and loud enough to be heard over the whooshing wind sweeping past us. At one point the hood of his poncho even fell back to slap my face.

The rain was hardly felt as we whipped down the streets and along the curves. Until eventually the top of the house peeked out above the trees. By that point I was laughing hysterically along with him, the fear replaced with a giddy sort of feeling that made me giggle madly. Giggle. Another thing that I dearly hoped Leorio didn't hear.

There was a hill right before that house, however, and we zipped right by even when he pressed as hard as he could against the handle breaks. Instead, the sudden grip on the tires sent us toppling over the bike and into the garden.

The three of us – me, Leorio, and the bike – landed with a great 'oof' as the rain streamed on.

We stayed like that, staring at each other in surprise, before bursting out laughing.

I choked on laughs and (cough manly cough) giggles as we tried to untangle our limbs from each other and the bike without squishing any more flowers than we already had.

Now covered in mud from head to toe, I wondered if maybe I'd be dryer right now if I had just walked home. But that didn't matter as much as getting out of the garden before anybody noticed.

"That was…" Leorio started, with a chuckle as he brushed off some petals from his arms.

"Fun." I finished for him, grinning much wider than I could remember ever doing and pulling him up from the ground. "Really fun. So fun I'm tempted to get stuck in the rain more often."

He smiled back, pushing my mud streaked hair from my face carefully, "Yeah. Kurapika, I wanted to tell you something. Something important-"

"AHHH!"

The shriek drew our attention immediately to the large doors of the large house where a large woman was screaming. "My- my GARDEN!"

I looked down at the garden, taking in the damage completely for the first time.

Mud and crushed flowers was all that remained of the portion of the garden we had landed in. The bike was still lying in the mess, right by our feet.

The woman's attention quickly went from the bike to us, pure rage twisting her face as she marched out into the rain. "You! What did you brats do? Look at the mess you made!"

One look at the wobble in her step and it was clear, to me at least. She was drunk. Again.

"Quick. Run." I pushed the bike towards Leorio, helping him get it out of the mud.

"But, she's mad-"

"Exactly!" I gave him a final shove before turning towards the approaching woman. "Just leave or she'll get angrier!"

Opening his mouth as if to protest, Leorio gave the garden a last glance before peddling back out into the rain, peering over his shoulder until the house was out of view. He didn't want to leave, but it was true that it would only be worse if he stayed.

"That's it!" She screeched yet again, harshly digging her nails into my arm to drag me back to the house. "You were at that old stink house again, weren't you?"

I stumbled on after her, nearly stubbing my toe on the stone steps leading up to the door.

A man appeared at the stairs, watching with curious eyes as I pulled the door closed behind us. "What happened?"

"We're buying that useless spot of land." She growled, "And tearing down that stupid house. Send the old bat a letter that they have to get out in three days."

XXX

"Wah! Antonio pushed me!" A young blonde girl ran from the bathroom, toothpaste still dripping from the corner of her mouth. Antonio 'hmph'd with a proud smirk as he hopped onto the stool.

He stared at his reflection as he brushed his teeth thoroughly and washed his face. He wanted to look nice today. Well, as nice as he could be being only 9 years old.

After all, he had even taken a vow to shower every day instead of once a week, as much as he hated having to waste time each day in the tub. But it was his last day of being only 9. By tomorrow morning, he'd be in the double digits and he wanted it to change things.

With a final wink at the mirror, Antonio raced down the stairs in time to hear the whispers of 'surprise party' from the other children and their caretaker. They silenced quickly when he approached and giggled at his scowl. What was the big secret?

Grabbing his breakfast from the table, he tried to ignore their resumed whispers while he sat at the window, just as he had yesterday. And the day before. Along with the many days since he'd come to live at the orphanage.

He would never tell anyone why he did this each day. He, himself, wasn't so sure why he did it. But a small part of Antonio's mind accepted that he was waiting for someone that would never come.

But now he had an excuse to tell them.

"I'm just waiting to see if that egg head will come back so I can throw my toast at him. It's been three days since he came, I bet he's scared." He snickered as they complained.

"That's mean!"

"Yeah! Kurapika's really nice, why are you so mean?"

In all honesty, he didn't care whether the blond returned or not. He wouldn't complain if he did show up, of course, but he wasn't the person Antonio was waiting for.

The other children finally retreating, leaving him in peace as he nibbled on the corners of his toast.

Hours passed before any activity happened outside.

Antonio pressed his nose to the glass, staring with wide green eyes as a large machine churned up the walkway. A heavy ball dangled above it, the kind that people used to knock things down…

"Surprise!"

Noise makers sprung to life behind him as he spun around in his seat. A cake was presented to him by the caretaker, ten candles placed in the sloppily decorated cake.

"Happy tenth birthday!" They all chorused, encouraging him to blow out the candles while others fell into an out-of-pitch happy birthday song.

Everyone fell silent as a man burst through the door, though, and he demanded they leave as the large machines grew ever closer. The man yelled that they should have listened to the letter they had sent three days ago.

Antonio then remembered it had been his turn to check the mail for a week. And that he hadn't done so.

"Quickly, children, go gather outside by the big oak tree, I'll be out with you in a few moments." The caretaker ushered them out the door before turning back to the man. "What is the meaning of this? We have received no such letter!"

XXX

"A party?"

"Yes." The black haired young man clucked his tongue and held out his hand to the white rat near him. "It's not a mission for all of us. I'll be going alone tonight. You're in charge of babysitting until I get back, Shalnark."

With a depressed sigh, the youth peeked back at the people he would have to watch until their Danchou got back. It only took one glance at the dust cloud of fists and legs to decide he'd really rather go with him. But nonetheless he handed over the papers of information he had requested earlier, "Have fun." _Because I certainly won't be having any. _Shal added in his thoughts.

TBC…

Yuuki: Too rushed?

Killua: *shrug* eh…not too bad, I guess. At least compared to OTHER fanfics of yours

Yuuki: hey, hey, I wanna know how many people actually read theses pointless thingies at the bottom. If you do, and you like this story, right the word 'tomato' in a review somehow. Be creative :D You'll get a special tomato shout out at the beginning thing of the next chapie, k?

Leorio: …what's with all the tomato promotion?

Yuuki: I like tomatoes teehee! Oh and don't worry C; this IS kuropika but it isn't one of those "Leorio is forever alone" fics~ …As an afterthought, it's not one of those "since the main pairing is gay, so is everyone else in the AU!" either. *facepalm* sorry guys…but in reality, not every homosexual is ONLY friends with OTHER homosexuals…I mean, there's no problem with being straight either, is there? Some of those stories are good, too, but after a while it just gets like "WHY ARE THERE NO GIRLS IN THIS- oh finally there's one- AHHHWHYISSHERAPINGHER?" not that I'm against girls liking other girls either but…*goes off into long rant that Niki is too lazy to type and sure nobody wants to read*

Niki: Jeesh Yuu-chan, you always rant around in circles lulz

Yuuki: But what if they get mad at me because they think I'm against being gay just because I said that *whining on the phone not knowing Niki's typing this hurr hurr*

Niki: Dude, you're writing BL as we speak, nobody's gonna think you're a homophobe~

Gon: Review please!


	4. Thief

Alexia – _Salut! J'ai un fan __français ? C'est génial ! Merci ! Oh et désolé si__ mon français __est mauvais__ hahaha~_

October Ville – _Mmm well I wrote the first chapter like half a year before I started writing the rest, so that might be it…I'll try to fix it in this chapter :D Yes it's KuroPika~ With a little of the Leorio-best-friend-who-has-temporary-__unrequited__-love to the side~ Thanks for the review~_

_Uhhhn I wanna get this out quickly (and I'm lazy) so… thanks to _L-L-Love, Hiiyama Karou, ThE-faInTinG-faNGirl, Gina-chan14, Hina-chan_ and _RhiannonWolf_ for their reviews, too !_

Chapter 4: Thief

"Come on, Kurapika, I'm sure your clothes aren't _that_ bad."

Neon knocked on the door again, trying to get me to let go of the storage closet's door knob. If I let go, she'd be able to open it. And drag me downstairs to the party where I'd most likely face my death.

"He didn't lock himself in the closet because of his clothes." Leorio rolled his eyes, "He just doesn't want to go to the party."

"Huuh? Why not? I know there's a wild party animal somewhere hidden in that blond hair!"

"It's a formal party." I mumbled, "Unless by 'wild party animal' you mean drinking tea with business people."

I flinched as stronger hands pulled at the door, nearly wrenching it from my grasp. Couldn't they simply leave me alone and understand that I didn't want to go to the darn party?

My fingers finally slipped from the metal at a particularly harsh tug and I slid back against the far wall.

Leorio opened the door slowly, giving me a once over. Must have been a sight, me in my too-big white suit, curled up on the floor with puffy red eyes. No, I hadn't been crying. There was dust. A lot of dust. Dust that only affected me. Because it hated me _that _much.

Neon let out a surprised huff as the door slammed shut in her face.

"Are you okay?" He settled down beside me, wrapping a loose arm around my shoulders.

"Obviously. Everything's just great…" My lip began to tremble as my hands turned to fists and rubbed at my eyes, "No…no, it's not okay. I'm not okay. Oh god…the orphanage…"

He didn't say anything, and eventually Neon's calls from the other side of the door faded away along with her footsteps. The two of us sat there in the dark for who knows how long, until finally Leorio spoke up.

"Your parents are going to be mad again."

"They're always mad."

We fell back to silence, with Leorio occasionally making an off comment to try and start an actual conversation.

Soon enough, something he said caught my attention.

"Is it just me, or did it suddenly just get a whole lot quieter?" Leorio looked down at the floor, wondering why the quiet thump of music and talking was suddenly nonexistent.

"The party can't be over. It's only nine. There's still another hour left."

Slowly, we stumbled onto our feet, and right before we opened the door, the screaming started.

The tinkling of shattering glass, the thud of footsteps and unmistakable sound of screams. The thud of music returned, although it was drowned out by everything else.

Leorio fumbled in the dark for the doorknob, finally finding and opening it before we ran out into the hall and towards the noise.

I hadn't put much thought into what could actually have caused the commotion. It didn't even cross my mind. There was only the need to get to the source. As soon as we got to the bottom of the stairs, we found a stream of people pouring out of the doors and pushing against us. Leorio managed to grab hold of an elderly man, pulling him from the crowd to save him from being trampled.

"What's going on?" He yelled over the noise, trying to keep a hold on the panicked man. I kept a firm grip on the railings to keep from being dragged away from the stairs.

"They-they're dead!" The man screamed, wrenching himself from his grasp and being pulled back into the flow of people. Leorio tried to grab his wrist again, stumbling against the rug on the last step and falling into the crowd.

"Leorio!" I tried to reach out for his extended hand, I really did. My fingertips just barely brushed against the back of his hand, my other arm trembling against the railing as I strained to reach him but not willing to risk going much further.

He was quickly swallowed by the masses, as my hand froze and his calls were blended into the rest.

There.

In the room where the party had been just moments ago, where the hum of music continued to play, I could just barely peek through the doors to see the splash of red against the wall.

Someone had been killed.

A shrill cry joined into the chorus of fear.

I spun on my heel, taking the steps two at a time as I tried to get to the familiar voice. _It couldn't be. It couldn't be. That sounds like Neon-_

My hands slammed against the door, flinging it open and propelling myself further into the room. Neon glanced at me for a split second before her eyes rolled back and she fell to the floor.

"W-what?" I leaned against the nearest glass case, watching with confusion the rise and fall of her chest. She was breathing. She didn't appear hurt. Why had she been screaming?

The sound of sirens echoed in through the window, the screaming from earlier slowly fading as people were led away. Ears ringing, my eyes traveled to another of the many display cases in the room. This was his office. My adoptive 'father's office where he liked to show off his pretty little sparkly rocks.

A careful circle had been cut into the glass, the jewels inside scattered on the floor.

I jumped as the door to the room slammed shut, the click of the lock louder than I had ever heard it before. I tried to calm my racing heart. Tried to figure out what was going on-

Warm breath ghosted over the back of my neck, a gasp spilling from my lips as I spun around in surprise.

An amused pale face smirked down at me, dark eyes blinking happily, "Well I didn't think I'd be running into _you _here."

My jaw fell open as I stumbled away from him, pointing a shaking finger at the man accusingly, "Y-you!" I clamped my mouth shut as he chuckled.

"Hmm? Hello, kid-who-was-almost-raped."

Color flooded my cheeks as I remembered exactly where I had seen him before. Exactly what he had said before he left.

'_Men like that annoy me because they never get the job done _right_'_

I was shaken from my thoughts as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me underneath the desk. A hand clamped around my mouth before I could shout for help.

Voices came from just outside the room, the door shaking as (I assumed) the cops hurled themselves at it. Near silent curses were breathed as the boy typed furiously into his phone. I glanced at the words on the screen before he sent it.

/_Distracted, got the jewels, cops. Hurry up_/

My eyes widened in realization as he pocketed the phone. This! This was the thief! This was the murderer! And there I was, sitting perfectly still against his side.

Hoping to catch him off guard, I bit as hard as I could onto the palm against my lips. The only sound he made was a surprised hiss as blood burst into my mouth. I cringed at the taste but held on until his other hand tangled itself in my hair and tugged. Like really hard.

Another gasp as my head hit the ground, I coughed at the blood that was still on my tongue. My head throbbed, tears pricking at my eyes at the pain. Through my hazy vision, I stared helplessly as his black eyes narrowed.

He leaned down, whispering against my ear, "Sorry about this, kid. Your fault for being so stubborn."

The hand still in my hair lifted me up just slightly, before slamming back down against the hard floor with enough force to knock me unconscious instantly.

TBC…

Yuuki: Hina-chan and ThE-faInTinG-faNGirl get the TOMATO SHOUT OUT! *gives tomato shaped cake* (And yes~ Antonio is their wonderful little tomato-chan~ …except not really since they have nothing to do with the story~ Hehe~ Just the name)

Kurapika: *mother pose: AKA arms crossed, foot tapping, eyebrow raised, etc* Well?

Yuuki: eheh…well….I'M SORRY FOR LIKE NOT UPDATEING IN…a while /slapped/ okay FINE! A LONG TIME

Leorio: And then you come back with a short chapter *stomps away* I give you silent treatment!

Yuuki: oh well that's not too bad- I MEAN I LOVE YOU LEORIO Eto~ At least we have a little bit of plot appearing? Ve~

Izaya: Review, my lovely humans! Review!

Killua: WTF who are you-

Shizu-chan: IZAYAAAAA *chases Izzy off stage*

Yuuki: about my random other fandom….*needs a word needs a word* insertations (GASP THAT'S NOT A WORD)...appearances…meh…gomenasAI~


	5. Chapter 5

_Thanks to_ L-L-Love, whitypearl, Famelia Ly, Hina-chan, KiGaMi _and_ 18plusForMe _for the reviews!_

Chapter 5

Have you ever had one of those mornings where you wake up, stretch your arms above your head and think 'this is going to be a great day'?

I was not having one of those days.

There were no window to let light into the room I awakened to, and I slowly lifted my head from the unfamiliar pillow as a headache throbbed against my forehead. The walls were cement and dirty. It reminded me of the abandoned buildings Senritsu and I had played in when we were younger.

"Hello?" I called out into the silence, my voice cracking under my dry throat.

There was a few moments of silence before the door opened slowly. I sat up straighter, surprise widening my eyes. Silence as a 'no answer' was what I had expected to recieve. And I'd probably have liked that better.

"Good morning, kiddo!" A head of sandy-colored hair poked in through the doorway, a grin stretching across his face. "Ha! I was starting to think you'd never get up!"

Light followed him into the room, revealing the layer of dust that was thicker than I'd first thought it was.

I flinched, finding his cold hands suddenly against my head, pulling at the bandage I hadn't noticed before. He carefully unraveled it, humming to himself as he did so. He blinked once all of it was off, "Ah, Danchou hit you a bit too hard. I washed the blood out of your hair when you got here, by the way."

My face paled, memories of the party night coming back. Hiding in the closet with Leorio, the screaming, Neon, and-

"W-where am I? Who are you?" I swatted his hands away, scrambling back until I hit the wall.

"You can go now, Shalnark."

The sandy-haired boy turned at the new voice, nodding happily. "Sure, Danchou~ There's clean bandages in the drawer!" Shalnark slipped easily from the room, revealing a pair of dark eyes as he moved away.

I gulped, finding the light fading as the door closed behind him.

"You kidnapped me!" I accused, grabbing hold of a pillow and clutching it tightly, "What do you want? If it's for a ransom then they won't pay."

My kidnapper lifted an eyebrow, slowly rummaging through the desk drawers. "Hmm? I wouldn't call it _kidnapping_. It's more like - Aha!" He held up a roll of fresh bandages triumphantly.

"More like what?" I moved away as he sat down on the bed. There was probably poison on them or something. And then they'd drug me and do who knows what and I'd die. Yup. I leaned further away from him as he scooted ever closer.

With an amused chuckle, he simply watched as I went so far to actually fall off the bed. "Well, I certainly hadn't _planned _to run into you again. And you know my face, I couldn't exactly just leave you there."

I clutched at my head, feeling as if a hammer was being thrown at me repeatedly. Ugh...stupid head. Wait-

"B-but you're going to let me go, right?" _He saved me once, right? He can't be such a horrible person. Then again, he just so happened to be there when those people died...Wait, was he a murderer? _Oh, he was probably going to keep me here. Then torture me and watch me die slowly because there was no money to be gained for holding me hostage! Ah, I was going to die!

"You're free to leave." He shrugged.

My jaw unhinged itself. "T-there's a catch, right?" Stop stuttering, Kurapika! Jeesh!

With another chuckle, he reached over and pulled me back up by my arm. "Well, you have to let me bandage your head first."

* * *

><p>"KURAPIKA, YOU'RE NOT DEAD!"<p>

I flinched at the sudden yell in my ear, turning just in time to find a Neon being flung into my arms. Ah, friends. Always there to make your headache worse. Great to have, really.

"Just because I wasn't in school for one day, you think I've gone and died?" I peeled myself from her, trying to keep from grimicing at the scent of perfume that now stuck to me. I'd apparently been unconcious for a full two days, the first being Sunday so I went completely unnoticed. Even by my so-called parents. Because they care just that much.

_"What time is it anyway? There's no windows here." I tried to start a conversation, even though I didn't particularly want to talk to a thief and possible murderer. But a distraction would be helpful, something to distract from the hands gently pressed against my head._

_I could feel the shrug from behind me, "Hmm, it's dark out already. Nearly two days since you got here, though."_

_"WHAT?" I jumped to my feet, regretting it as my head resumed its pounding and the bandages fell around my feet. "Oh god, they're going to KILL me!"_

_Maybe I was destined to die young or something. And seeing as Mr. Kidnapper here wouldn't get the job done, then fate decided my parents would. If I just showed up they'd probably think something ridiculous up like I'd run away and changed my mind! Ah!_

They hadn't even noticed I was gone.

The task of appearing on TV in wake of the recent murder was far too time consuming to spare a moment in noticing the absence of their adoptive child. Ah, well it worked to my advantage anyway. Seeing as there was no beating awaiting my arrival.

Everything was going on as it normally would, nothing seemed to have changed. The world kept moving while I had been out cold.

I moved my hand to my head, about to run it through my hair as my habit always led me to do. Instead, my fingers touched the bandages there.

Endless dark eyes filled my vision, and I got the feeling I'd be seeing them in person again sometime soon.

TBC...

Yuuki: Short chapter I APOLOGIZE I just wanted to get something posted heheh I haven't had any time lately but because of the snow the school was closed~ Meaning no practice :3 I get to spam you guys with updates today~ or at least write a bunch and put them up throughout the week~

Leorio: What...what is this? THERE IS NO ME IN THIS! THIS INSANItY!

Killua: My hair is fluffy~ fluffy fluffy~ so fluffy~ ignore this OC moment...you know you like it (and that Yuuki must be on crack)

Yuuki: QUESTION! If I wrote some original fiction, would you guys read it?

Gon: review please~!


	6. Chapter 6

_A.n. - Sorry for the long wait! Especially since I bring with me only awkward early morning writing :P_

Chapter 6

"But I can't even sing."

"Yes you can! I heard you!"

"What? When?"

"In the shower- AH DON'T GIVE ME THAT LOOK! I WASN'T SPYING ON YOU-!" Leorio cowered behind Neon, nervously peeking over her shoulder. The other students were watching us discreetly. And by discreetly I mean they were blatantly staring at the scene and soaking in every little detail.

"You...you _pervert_." The last word transformed itself into a little dart that flew from my teeth and straight into Leorio's small shred of pride. He tried puffing out his chest, about to give one of his clever comebacks, when Neon saved him a verbal beating by holding up a manicured hand.

Leorio visibly deflated.

"Wait, wait. You guys are acting like I'm giving you a choice. Kurapika, you're joining the drama club and you'll be in the musical. I signed you up already. No whining!" Neon smirked smugly, hopping off of my desk and walking away with a satisfied sway of her hips.

I grabbed Leorio's collar before he managed to escape, "I'm going to kill you!"

"It's not my fault," He defended, "I didn't think she'd take me seriously when I said she should ask you."

"It's Neon."

"Yeah, well..." A red tint travelled across his face as the words trailed off. With a groan, I released his shirt and leaned back in my chair, ignoring the stares that were slowly decreasing in numbers.

Neon, being more interested in clothes and the like than textbooks , was being forced to join one of the school's after school clubs to make up for her bad grades from the first term. I wasn't sure how that would help, but why question the school system? There was no logic or common sense involved in anything the school decided to do anyway.

But the important part was, she didn't want to join alone.

And Leorio was the worst best friend ever. Because best friends don't bring up your name when Neon's looking for a little minion. _Ever_.

"Why _me_." I dropped my face into my hands, "Leorio, you suck."

My head was still killing me from when a certain someone had knocked me unconscious. I was in no mood to deal with my annoying social life- or lack thereof, seeing as I was probably going to end up embarassing myself thanks to Neon.

I peeked out through my fingers, nearly jumping from my seat at how close Leorio's face was. His lips puffed out in an exaggerated pout, "I'll bring you food after practice."

"...Ok. But you still suck."

xxx

By the time the last school bell had rung, I'd calmed down enough to try and see joining the drama club in a positive light. Because of the everyday practices, I would have an excuse not to be at home. And not being at home was the best feeling ever.

Positive thoughts, positive thoughts.

Neon appeared at my side with an ear-splitting squeal, not wasting a moment before squeezing the life from my arm. I jumped slightly as her nails dug into my skin - as well as from the explosion of my eardrums - and tried to hold onto those positive thoughts.

"Have you seen some of the people in the club? Oh my god, is my hair okay? Most of them are total geeks but that _one guy_," She let the sentence hang for a bit longer as she fanned herself with some paper. Deciding she'd let the pause go on for long enough, Neon launched herself into one of her long winded rants.

As much as I loved hearing about the wonderful six-pack one of my classmates had (a classmate I would be spending many practice hours with for the whole of the second term), I was very much thankful when a loud cough affectively cut off all chatter.

A rather oddly dressed man skipped - read: yes skipped - up to the front board and spun easily to face the students littering the music room. Grinning creepier than necessary, the man licked his lips as he eyed each new face and nodded to himself approvingly.

"Welcome, one and all, to the most wonderful production society has managed to spit up and discover!"

The upperclassman divided into two groups without moving, one group squealed excitedly and the other rolled their eyes. This left all us newbies to sit and try to figure out if the instructor's sentence even made sense.

"More good news, I've finally managed to replace that dreary little assistant that was forced upon us." He grabbed at the cloth next to him and pulled it away with a flourish. A mannequin revealed itself in its full lopsided glory. I couldn't help a little grimace. Just a little one. Because that mannequin must have come from one of those horror movies where dolls come to life. "Which means~! We get to choose the musical to perform this winter, and not Mr. lacking-any-fun-grumpy-pants."

The rest of the meeting passed by quickly, so quickly that when someone announced it was time to leave it caught me totally off guard. It hadn't been what I expected at least, with the exception of the flamboyant teacher. That, I had expected, though maybe not to the extent of whatever _that _was. Hisoka, that was his name, had passed around a white board so we could write down suggestions for the winter musical. Of course, as soon as he got it back he only glanced at it briefly before erasing it completely and announcing we'd go with his idea.

Then of course were the strange threats. _Oh yes, almost forgot. This club must be everyone's top priority! If any of you get low grades, I will personally show up at your house and make you study. _No one_ is allowed to drop out starting next meeting._ And the creepy giggles. I shudder at the thought.

"-pika! Hello~? Anyone there?" Neon reached up to pet my head until I pulled my focus back to her. She smiled happily. "There we go. If you keep spacing out, your brain will get lost and forget how to come back. Besides, what could you possibly be thinking of when _I_," quick twirl, "am right here?"

"Sorry." I tried to grin, but it ended up very sheepish, "I was just-"

"-Thinking. I know. Well, see you tomorrow, Pika-cha~an! Byebye!" She winked and pointed somewhere behind me.

I frowned, looking over my shoulder quickly before turning back towards her. "There's no one...there..." Pouting, I watched Neon wave from the car that was already driving away.

I didn't have too long to wonder what she had pointed to, though, because in a matter of seconds there were arms around my waist and I was being lifted into the air. I chocked back a surprised yelp as I was spun around a few times before finally being set down so I could stumble on my own two feet.

As soon as the ground had stopped wiggling enough for me to sit up straight, I glanced up from the sidewalk and to the plastic bag dangling in front of me.

"Leorio, what the hell?"

"I said I'd bring you food." Leorio grinned smugly as he plopped down next to me and began unpacking the convenience store food.

And so I found myself eating dry ramen with my questionably-insane best friend in the middle of the sidewalk, on a school night, at nearly 10pm in September.

There was nothing strange about that.

The school lights shut off only a few minutes into our meal, so we sat in complete darkness without a single person or car strolling past. Except for the night Janitor. Tompa seemed like he was about to wobble on over to do some trolling, but decided missing any more sleep wasn't worth it and disappeared around the corner.

"So, anyone interesting in your little drama club?" Leorio tried scraping up some of the seasoning with a piece of hard noodle. I shrugged and continued eating. Any thoughts of Hisoka other than the necessary ones were unwanted. Very much so.

"How'd you get out of your house, anyway?" I quickly and easily changed the subject, catching the small pause in his movements.

He set down the packet of seasoning with a sigh, "It involved bribing the maid with my allowance, and that is all I shall say. Honestly, I don't get what the big deal is. It's not like we're out doing anything illegal in the middle of the night."

"According to your dad, we might as well be." I didn't notice the scowl that managed to worm itself into my expression. "He actually called my parents this time, and he described _perfectly _what he thinks we're doing."

I nearly jumped when a hand suddenly appeared in my direct line of vision. Leorio used his thumb to smooth the skin between my eyebrows, "Hey, don't make that face."

"...Sorry."

TBC...

_Yes, this WILL be KuroPika. Let me just get Leo out of the way guys lol Will you forgive me if I promise plenty of Kuroro next chappie?_

Yuuki: I'm back, yay? Uh, so this is like...making me wince as I edit it. But I can't properly edit, because I can't figure out a way to fix the awkwardness...maybe cuz I only have time to write at like 3am...Gah this is so disconnected, why do you guys even like this? lol This is probably my most popular fic at the moment, and I don't get why

Killua: Cuz you suck

Yuuki: what? what? *bops on head* That doesn't even make sense alkjfslkdfjsdkj Killua's totally writer's block in human form I tell you! I should kick you out and then maybe I can actually write stuff again *sniffles* like that contest I totally want to enter but I can't because if I think about Jongkey again I won't be able to write HXH at all *sobs in corner of being jongkey-deprived*

Gon: Review please! Free internet hugs to all reviewers~! :D

Yuuki: *painfully works on vomiting up next chapter because that is a pleasant image and totally makes you wanna read it*


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A week had passed quietly without much trouble. I would go to school, stay there well past nine pm for rehearsal, then either have 'dinner' with Leorio or sneak back home with an empty stomach. I hardly spent any time around the house, which made things a whole lot easier. I'd even taken to leaving early in the mornings to stop by the orphanage, hoping somebody would be there to tell me where the caretaker had taken all the kids. There never was, but I couldn't smash that last bit of hope I had left.

So when Leorio didn't show up after practice, I didn't even bother to notice anything out of the ordinary.

Neon offered me a ride home, shooting a suspicious glance at the unfamiliar car sitting near the school entrance. It shouldn't have seemed suspicious, seeing as there were still students cleaning up the music room, but it gave out that kind of vibe.

"I just don't like it." Neon pouted when I waved off her worries, switching tactics and trying to get me to go over to her house instead.

"I'll be fine. See you tomorrow."

"But-"

"_Bye_, Neon."

It wasn't strange that the car started up seconds after I parted from Neon. It wasn't because a student probably got in when we were distracted, right? Trying to shake off my nervousness, I turned to give Neon a final wave. She bit her lip and slipped into her own car. I didn't wait long enough to see her drive off.

The early September breeze picked up slightly, the chill making my legs shake. The sidewalk had also decided to make an effort to tangle and trip up my feet. I cursed under my breath as I nearly fell off the curb.

Glancing up from the ground, I nearly froze in the middle of the street. The car was there. The car was _right there_.

Tinted windows gleamed in the moonlight, tires rolling lazily as it pulled up closer to the sidewalk. I forced my legs to move faster.

This situation was too familiar. Me, walking home. Me, all alone. An unfamiliar person or persons, approaching _me _with nothing to hint at any harmless intention. Those men that had tried to kidnap me in the park - _this could be them_. It wasn't a rational thought, because hadn't I witnessed those very same men being killed? But I was long past rationality when I could see the glossy metal enter the corner of my vision.

Blood was pounding in my ears by the time the car had come close enough for me to see my own reflection. I could see my wide eyes, the way my chest was heaving with quickening gasps, the hand reaching out from behind me-

A hand around my wrist pulled me onto a side street, the lack of oxygen in my lungs keeping me from making any noise besides chocked gasps and hiccups. Another hand covered my mouth, pressing me against a brick wall and into the shadows. I could see the unfamiliar car pull back out from above pale fingers. I watched until it was out of sight before I even thought to glance at my- attacker? Rescuer?

I wasn't sure whether to feel relief or fear when my eyes met depthless black pools. I'd only seen this man about three times, but there was no mistaking the figure cloaked in all black.

"You won't scream, right?" One end of his lips quirked up in amusement. Slowly, Kuroro pulled his hands back to stuff them into his pockets.

I very quickly realized that he had been the only thing keeping me upright.

Still trembling, I slid back against the wall until I was sitting on the ground, pulling my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. Kuroro stood just in front of me, boots the only part of him I could see without looking up.

"Mind telling me why you were walking home all alone in the middle of the night?"

I didn't answer him. I _couldn't_, really. I didn't trust my voice yet. The last thing I wanted was to become a whimpering mess in front of someone I barely knew. With a few deep breaths, my panic had died down enough for me to notice that he had lowered himself to crouch at eyelevel.

I fully blamed my lack of sleep for the heat that unexpectedly swarmed my cheeks. Kuroro leaned closer, close enough for me to just barely feel the warmth of his skin. My breath hitched slightly, because the endlessness of his eyes never failed to catch me off guard. But they weren't filled with concern or worry. He was staring like I was some sort of entertainment that had managed to catch his attention. And I was suddenly reminded that this was the same man that had killed three men without batting an eyelash.

"Too close." My dry throat made my voice scratchy. I swallowed thickly, glancing away from the face just inches from mine.

Rocking back on his heels, Kuroro chuckled.

I'd barely had a chance to catch my breath when he was back again. Expression serious and unflinching."You shouldn't be out so late."

The puff of his breath brushed against my lips as he spoke. My mind was screaming _too close, to close! _and I was sure it was showing on my face. Kuroro obviously didn't care, because if anything, he was closer than he had initially been.

The panic from the incident with the car hadn't fully gone away. It was quick to start building up again and make my heart hammer irregularly. I couldn't move, not only because I was cornered against the wall, but a metallic scent had appeared since Kuroro leaned in and I'd finally put a name to it.

"How'd you find me?" _Why'd you find me?_

It surprised me that my voice didn't crack. It didn't sound _calm_ by any means, but it didn't outright quiver either.

Kuroro raised an eyebrow at the topic change. I sighed with relief as he pulled back.

"I couldn't let you go without making sure you wouldn't report anything to the police."

The space put between us finally allowed me to gather enough strength to stand up. Without missing a beat, Kuroro was following me out of the side street and back on the path home. I kept my gaze on the ground, finding that it helped me concentrate on not acting like a helpless little girl. "And that means...?"

"The chip stopped working. I came to check on it."

"Chip..." My head snapped up and to the side, "A tracking chip? You've been stalking me!" It did startle me slightly that he was already staring at me. Like he had been watching me the entire time. I tried to push that thought to the side.

His lips pulled into a confused frown, big eyes narrowing to a look that said 'so?'.

Despite the topic, a sense of normalcy had settled over my head. The nervousness from earlier had disappeared.

I winced. "Oh god...please tell me it's not a camera."

"It's just a microphone." His voice took on a slightly whiny tone. I had other matters occupying me. I tried to mentally go through every conversation I'd had since I'd last seen him (which was over a week ago) and dearly hoped I hadn't said anything embarrassing.

Leorio and I didn't usually have many heartfelt and sappy conversations, but we did tell each other a lot. I trusted him. Knowing that someone else might have been listening in on our secrets...

"Where is it? Take it off, now!"

Looking hurt, he chose not to answer in favor of looking ahead of us. None of my complaining or poking got through to him. The silent treatment was childish, but it was obvious he had no intention of telling me where the chip was anyway.

I groaned, covering my face with shaky hands.

Kuroro clearly didn't see the problem.

We stopped at the gate to the house. I stared at the ruined garden in surprise. Our walk had gone by faster than expected.

Still embarrassed about the whole tracking chip fiasco, I warily turned towards Kuroro. He had his hands in his pockets again and was looking up at the house. Noticing my stare, he finally decided to end the silent treatment. "Do I get a thank you now?"

"What?"

"I saved you. From that car."

I sputtered incoherently.

Kuroro watched in amusement as I spun around and marched up the steps. I slammed the door behind me, knowing my parents weren't home, and didn't stop moving until I was in my room. I dropped everything and dove into the comfort of my bed.

And that was about the moment I realized I had just led a potential murderer to my doorsteps.

I buried my face in my pillow with a frustrated groan.

XXX

The following days slipped by quickly. Leorio would sometimes meet me after practice to share dry ramen. Whenever he didn't show up, Kuroro would be waiting at the end of the school campus to walk me home. The strange car didn't show up again, but after seeing Leorio get dropped off in his dad's new car, I started to get an idea of who it had been that night.

Stepping out into the chilly night with Neon, I watched in disappointment as Leorio stood up with his usual plastic bags on his arm. I returned his wave with a guilty smile, feeling horrible that for a fleeting second I had wished he wouldn't be there.

It wasn't that I didn't enjoy eating with him - really, this was probably the most often I got to eat dinner - but I had started looking forward to walking home with Kuroro. I didn't like admitting that, and the ramen suddenly looked less appetizing.

TBC...

Yuuki: *rocking back and forth in corner* Updating...often...not used to this...nng...

Killua: *deathstare* once a month is not often

Gon: Review please! :D

Yuuki: Reviews will help keep me sane *crawls away from laptop to curl up in fetal position* 4am...ahhhg


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"It's not fair that I have to be an old hag." Neon made a clucking sound with her tongue, walking with just enough pressure on her feet to make the high-heels click louder than usual. "At first I was all for it, being the wonderful and beautiful wife. But in the end I go crazy and he kills me!"

"I know, I read the script."

She continued ranting as if she hadn't heard me. Most likely- she hadn't.

"You get to be the cute little kid that gets smothered by a pretty mother hen. You're like the only one who _doesn't_ die!"

The characters had been distributed over a week ago, along with scripts, but Neon continued to let the world know of her feelings over the whole thing. Everyone else seemed to be satisfied with their own parts. It wasn't all that surprising, honestly. I'd long ago learned that Neon liked not fitting in as 'everyone else'.

I would have reminded her that the young love bird couple do survive the whole musical, but seeing as she had already continued... It probably wouldn't have been worth it anyway.

The background noise was fueled with Neon's voice and the sound of faraway cars. The school lights were fading behind us as we descended the stairs that would officially put us out of campus and it wasn't until a familiar figure detached itself from the shadows that I realized exactly what was about to happen.

Kuroro's half-confused (but mostly amused) eyes followed us from mere feet away as I promptly grabbed Neon's arm and proceeded to drag her back towards school.

"Pika- what the hell?" She screeched, almost tripping and yanking her arm away. I nearly died from hyperventilating as she turned back to see Kuroro curiously approaching us.

The man had a habit of making this happen.

I was panicking. I was _completely _panicking and there were words gushing from my mouth but I couldn't even find it in me to figure out what I was saying. Something along the lines of _turn around and don't look at the man dressed in all black coming towards us in the middle of the night like it's a totally usual and normal thing to do. _There was a polite, but slightly hysteric sounding, '_please_' added in there for good measure. Not that it helped any.

Kuroro eyed her for a moment before recognition lit up his face and he let out a chuckle. Beside me, I felt Neon shiver and lean away.

_What if she remembered. What if she recognized him from the night of the party-_

With school, the musical and everything else going on, I hadn't had time to think about the party in a while. My parents were still busy juicing it for all it was worth, and seemed generally happier with all the attention they were getting. Their business partners had been murdered in their own home, right in front of them, and they were _happy_.

But that was hardly important when Neon was standing right in front of the person that had-...well I had no idea what he had done. But she had fainted, and as shallow as she appeared, she was strong enough that I knew there had to be a _reason_.

There also had to be a reason she had been in my father's office in the first place.

Neon's hands latched onto my arm as she turned towards me with wide eyes. She kept glancing back at Kuroro, eyes growing wide with each second. I tried forcing an excuse past my lips. But there were no excuses, mostly because I didn't know what I was excusing myself for. There were too many thoughts in my head.

"Who's this?"

A smirk tugged at one side of his lips. Kuroro tilted his head slightly, letting the tattoo on his forehead peak out just barely, "Kurapika?"

My knees nearly gave out right then. _I don't remember even giving him my name!_

I'd only learned _his_ name from overhearing it while waiting to be released by my kidnappers. I didn't give a second thought to the weird-vibe of that sentence. There was no time for that.

In my head, I could see Neon freaking out and screaming about a murderer. Police would come and I'd never see Kuroro again. It wasn't realistic, at all. I _knew _Kuroro could knock her out before more than a wisp of air had left her lips. But despite that, the thought scared me. Knowing it scared me, only made me more panicky. _I'd never see Kuroro again_.

Through my internal turmoil, I'd forgotten that Neon never reacted like she was expected to.

A grin split her face with a giggle, "Pika! You never told me about this! Is this your secret lover? Oh my god, it was him in the car the other week wasn't it? That's why you weren't scared!"

Every thought I'd just had disappeared in that second. "...What?"

She bounced up and down in excitement. When she started swinging my arms and squealing about marriage is when I finally jumped out of her grip. "WHAT?"

"It's okay. You have my full support." Neon's smile faltered slightly, "Actually..."

I was still very much confused as she looked Kuroro up and down. With a nod, Neon grabbed his hands into her own. "I give you full permission to ravish and marry my dear Pika. Whichever comes first. And you have to rig the flower tossing so that I'll catch it no matter what."

Kuroro met my horrorstricken gaze with laughter twinkling in his eyes. _Twinkled_. That's it, Leorio's insanity has finally gotten to me. His love for cheesy lines about little details has infected my brain. The disease will spread slowly, killing brain cells until I become a hopeless romantic of a vegetable.

My dread and pounding heart only increased as he moved away from Neon.

I died. I'm dead, I died, or maybe fate just really hates me and wants to keep me on my toes.

Large hands were warm against my hips and easily pulled me into Kuroro's lean chest. My fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket just in time to keep me from completely falling against him. I could hear Neon's squealing from somewhere far away, as well as my own clipped breathing.

"Last chance," Kuroro's lips ghosted over my ear, making me shiver, "Are you going to thank me for before?"

"T-thank-? For what?" I squeaked. I don't think my voice had ever gone quite that high before.

He chuckled against my ear, slowly dragging his mouth against my skin until our noses bumped. "Then I'll have to take your thanks in my own way."

And so came the moment I realized I'd never be able to get rid of him. I wasn't completely sure I wanted to, but that obviously didn't matter one way or another. Not anymore.

I gathered enough shreds of my dignity from the ground to grit out a normal-pitched, "What the hell is _that _supposed to mean?"

"In entertainment."

TBC...

Yuuki: Hina-chan, while writing the second half I kept thinking of your reaction to my Mamapika comment lol

Kurapika: this is my not amused face, in case you're wondering

Neon: Leopapa is a lazy ass so Mamapika has a steamy affair with Kuroro *Yuuki and Neon go off to have fangirling fantasies*

Gon: Review please~! Pretty, pretty, pretty please! Reviewers are so pretty~

Yuuki: I feel like I don't say this enough, so thank you reviewers/followers/silent readers for putting up with me and my slow updates :'D I know my writing's not the best, but it still makes my day thinking someone - someone I never even met - is reading what I write and (hopefully) enjoying it~

Killua: Ugh just finish editing already so we can be saved from your corny words -_-

Yuuki: I love you guys *bone-crushing hug for Killua* THIIIIIIS much


End file.
